No. 4 Oregon acrobatics and tumbling (2-1) got back on the winning train with its comeback win over No. 3 Gannon last week. Now, the pressure is on, and it starts on Senior Day. The Ducks face another top-five opponent, No. 5 Mary Hardin-Baylor (3-1), in their final home meet of the season. Oregon hasn’t won two meets in a row since last year. UMHB has won three straight since dropping its opener to No. 1 Baylor.

Here’s everything to know before the Ducks battle the Cru on Friday night:

Stacking wins

Oregon hasn’t won back-to-back meets since wins over Azusa Pacific and UMHB at the end of last season — and it hasn’t claimed victory in two consecutive regular season meets since March 2023. 

Now, more than halfway through their season, the Ducks cannot afford to drop wins. It matters for momentum and for polling, where Oregon will look to claim a top-two slot in the eventual NCATA championship rankings. A win against the Cru would build on a successful meet last Friday and put the Ducks in a strong position headed into their three road meets that close the year.

A loss, though, would send them down to .500 and put even more pressure on the season-end rematch with Baylor — not a position Oregon wants to find itself in. Is this a must-win?

Everything is right now.

Freshmen in the spotlight on senior day

It’s Senior Day for Oregon, but it might just be the freshmen who steal the show.

Key to Oregon’s comeback win over Gannon was a multi-season-high in the tumbling event. The Ducks’ 58.025 mark was their highest in a meet since 2017, and two of the three solo pass athletes were freshmen.

Tumblers Briya Alvarado (named an honorable mention for this week’s NCATA Specialist of the Week award) and Morgan Willingham both scored 9.850 or higher in their solo tumbling passes to help push Oregon into a pre-team event lead. Willingham, too, scored a career-high 9.875 in her pass. We’ve seen remarkable composure from athletes competing in their third-ever meet, but they’ll need to keep doing so in order to push Oregon past quality opponents.

Top Cassidy Cu and base Angelica Martin didn’t improve their five-element acro score against the Knights after setting the bar at 9.85 against Baylor, but it’s been one of the Ducks’ most solid events this season. Martin was named NCATA Freshman of the Week following Oregon’s win over Gannon – her first national award.

Event to watch

Oregon struggled uncharacteristically in the acro event against Gannon — outside of Martin and Cu, who scored a solid 9.75, the Ducks struggled with stability and posted two sub-nine-point scores on their way to a season-low mark in the event.

They recovered to grab the win, but keep an eye on the six and seven-element acro heats against the Cru. It’s an experienced group competing, and if Oregon struggles two weeks in a row, it’ll be a surprise.

Around the NCATA

No. 1 Baylor (6-0) beat both unranked Missouri State and No. 15 Duquesne in dual meets this week. The Bears have a chokehold on the top seed, and no one (save Oregon) has come close to stopping them.

No. 2 Quinnipiac (5-0) grabbed a midweek win over Limestone University to remain undefeated. The Bobcats take the weekend off before facing Oregon at home next Sunday.

No. 3 Gannon (2-4) lost to the Ducks last Friday, and has to sit with it — the Knights don’t return to action until March 22 for their penultimate meet of the year. A championship berth is looking like a stretch for the preseason third-overall program.

No. 6 Fairmont State (6-0) is one of the few remaining undefeated teams in the NCATA. However, the Falcons’ six wins include just one over a ranked program, last Tuesday over No. 14 Long Island University.

No. 7 Azusa Pacific (2-3) lost a heartbreaker to No. 11 Augustana on Monday night by just .035 points. The Cougars have just one remaining meet, next Wednesday in California against Fairmont State. They can get back to an even record, but don’t currently have a ranked win and may struggle to claim a top-eight spot in the championship poll.

No. 8 Iona (2-1) owns two ranked victories over Nos. 14 and 15, but now enters a gauntlet that includes matchups with Nos. 1, 4 and 5. The ceiling is high for the Gaels, but a potential 2-4 record could be difficult for the poll to push into the top eight.